Reisa Sperling

Reisa Sperling is a clinical neurologist, a neuroimaging researcher, and a leading force in the movement towards earlier diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. She directs the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Harvard Aging Brain Study at Massachusetts General Hospital, and is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Her pioneering work in multi-modality neuroimaging has served to elucidate the underpinnings of memory changes in aging and early Alzheimer’s disease. She chaired the recent National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer’s Association Workgroup, proposing a research framework to define the “Preclinical Stages” of Alzheimer’s disease, and to facilitate early intervention trials. She is actively working on clinical trials of potential disease-modifying therapies for AD, including secondary prevention trials in asymptomatic individuals with biomarker evidence of preclinical AD.

2012

Can we treat Alzheimers 20 years early? (Reisa Sperling)

Science Kit for Reisa Sperling

Hello fellow TEDMEDers:

Thanks for your interest in my talk, “Can We Treat Alzheimer’s Disease 20 Years Earlier?” at TEDMED 2012. Below are some resources that can provide additional details on our scientific work and the movement in the field towards earlier diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Here is an article that explains the concept of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease:

This is a critical time in Alzheimer’s disease. As our population ages, we are truly facing a health crisis of epidemic proportions. I believe we must learn from the successes in other health fields and shift our focus towards much earlier detection and intervention. I hope that we will begin these secondary prevention trials next year, and ultimately one day prevent dementia. Thanks so much for your interest.

Keywords

Newsletter Sign-up

Thanks! Your email has been added you to our newsletter mailing list.

TED trademark and logo used under license from TED Conferences LLC. TEDMED, LLC is a nonprofit that focuses on the intersection of health and medicine, while the TED Conference (which is also a non-profit and operates the website www.TED.com) has a broader focus on Ideas Worth Spreading. TEDMED, LLC is wholly owned by The TEDMED Foundation, a 501(c)(3) Public Charity. | 2 High Ridge Park | Stamford, CT | 06905